Fabulist

Just Joel: State of Studios 2025 - The 7 Laws of Thriving Studios

What’s actually happening inside creative studios right now?I work with hundreds of creative studios and production companies across 40+ countries — motion design, VFX, live action, experiential, music, and sound. And toward the end of every year, founders ask me the same question:“You work across the industry… what are you seeing right now?”This episode is my answer.Not pulled from headlines.Not scraped from LinkedIn posts.Not theory.This is pattern recognition drawn from real conversations inside Forum®, private working sessions, founder dinners, sales calls, boardrooms, and years of building and advising studios at the highest level.⸻This isn’t a downturn. It’s a reconfiguration.In 2025, something surprising happened: • Studios were busy • Revenue went up • Payrolls shrankSmaller teams.Higher leverage.Clearer positioning.At the same time, the anxious middle of the industry is being pulled into a race to the bottom — faster than ever.Ryan Summers and I call this shift The Great Bifurcation.In this episode of The Fabulist™, I break down the Seven Laws of Thriving Studios — the patterns separating studios that are gaining authority from those losing relevance.⸻The Seven Laws Covered in This Episode 1. From Servicing Projects → Solving Problems 2. From Order Taker → Expert 3. From Outsider → Insider (Experts Travel) 4. From Hoping to Win → Pitching to Win 5. From Selling Inputs → Selling Outputs 6. From One of Many → The One & Only (a → the™) 7. From Attention → TrustWe also cover: • Why AI doesn’t replace expertise — it amplifies it • Why pitching (done well) is still the highest-ROI activity for top studios • Why trust will be the rarest asset in the next creative era • Why founders are shrinking teams while increasing revenue • How insiders think differently than vendors⸻Referenced Conversations & ContributorsThis episode draws from real conversations and sessions with founders and leaders including:Ryan SummersKevin Rapp (Ultra Friends)Jeremy Dimmock (Polyester Studio)Nuno FerreiraJustin Cone (BUCK)Mitch Monson (Sibling Rivalry)Tony Kadillak (VERSUS)Tim Bradley (Pennant Video)Ed Rhine (Spillt)Dominic DiMariaMartin Schurmann (Váscolo)Radim MalinicMatt Hernandez (Paramount)⸻About MeI’m Joel Pilger — former studio founder (20 years at Impossible Pictures), advisor to the world’s top creative studios, host of The Fabulist™ podcast, curator of Fuse private dinners, and founder of Forum™, the private peer community where studio owners master the art of the business.Most of the conversations you hear on this podcast continue inside Forum — where founders stop being order takers and start leading as experts.⸻If this episode made you uncomfortable… good.That usually means one of these Laws is already at work in your business.👉 Learn more about Forum™ and how studio founders are navigating this shift together at joelpilger.com

Competition as Craft: The Sister-Studio Experiment

We’re challenging each other—and the industry. Joel sits down with Vagrants co-founders Dustin Devlin and Winston Macdonald (Boston-based creative/production studio) and Tim Bradley, founder of Pennant Video Co., to unpack how today’s best studios are evolving beyond “project vendors” into true strategic partners.From Boston’s “old guard” union shop era to today’s gray area where studios look a little like agencies (and brands build in-house teams), this conversation gets real about identity, positioning, and why the business of running a studio is the most interesting project you’ll ever take on. Tim breaks down Pennant’s mid-funnel Video Marketing Trifecta (Differentiation, Demonstration, Validation) and how productizing strategy turns scattered content needs into measurable results. The group also talks lifestyle companies, saying no to the wrong work, collaborating across sister companies, and the power of generosity over zero-sum thinking.If you’re a founder navigating agency relationships, brand-direct work, or that “are we a studio or an agency?” identity crisis—this one’s for you.What You’ll LearnStudio → Partner: How challenger studios win by solving problems, not just fulfilling briefs.Old Guard vs. New Guard: What changed in Boston’s market—and why it mirrors everywhere.Productized Strategy: Pennant’s mid-funnel framework (Differentiation / Demonstration / Validation).Saying No (On Purpose): Why Vagrants turned down ~half a million in “the wrong” work—and what that unlocked.Direct-to-Brand Reality: Working with modern in-house teams and where agencies still fit.Ops is Creative: Why COO thinking (utilization, team health, repeatable value) fuels better creative.Community > Competition: Forum, Fuse dinners, and the “generosity paradox” in action.GuestsDustin Devlin — Co-Founder & CCO, VagrantsWinston — Co-Founder & COO, VagrantsTim Bradley — Founder, Pennant Video Co.Chapter Markers00:00 Cold open: “We’re challenging the industry.”01:00 Who’s in the room? Fuse dinner setup & why it matters.04:30 Old guard vs. new guard: Boston’s production landscape.07:40 The DSLR revolution and the cracks in the agency model.12:30 From “we’re directors” to “we’re founders”: lifestyle company mindset.16:30 Ops is a team sport: crossing the 5-year hump as owners.21:45 Enter Tim: building business inside an agency—and the leap.27:00 Pennant’s origin: launching without a reel, with a framework.31:30 Awareness vs. Mid-Funnel: why sexy spots aren’t a strategy.37:10 Vagrants + Pennant as sister companies: solving the whole problem.45:00 Direct-to-brand, in-house teams, and agency adjacency.47:05 The Video Marketing Trifecta (Differentiation / Demonstration / Validation).51:00 From “we’ll throw in creative” to leading with strategy.54:00 Hiring an ECD and offering strategic partnerships.56:30 Objective partners, not yes-men: creative that moves the business.Notable Quotes“Running a studio is the most interesting project we’ll ever work on.”“We’re not vendors—we’re partners. The work has to move the business.”“Generosity beats zero-sum. Rising tides really do raise all ships.”“Productize the why, not just the what.”Links & ResourcesForum — Joel’s private community for studio founders: joelpilger.comFuse — Intimate founder dinners (mentioned in the episode)Pennant Video Co. — Mid-funnel video strategy and executionVagrants — Creative/production studioCreditsHost: Joel PilgerGuests: Dustin Devlin, Winston Macdonald (Vagrants); Tim Bradley (Pennant Video Co.)Audio Partner: Coupe Studios — huge thanks for making this show sing.Call to ActionIf you’re serious about running a resilient studio that unleashes your best creative work, apply to join Forum at joelpilger.com. Many of these conversations continue there.

Protecting the Craft with Barton Damer

Running a standout studio isn’t about selling hours—it’s about protecting the craft, picking the right clients, and staying scrappy (in smarter ways). Joel sits down with Barton Damer, founder/founding artist of Already Been Chewed (ABC), the Texas-based studio channeling skate culture into high-end 3D, VFX, and product campaigns for world-class brands. They get real about evolving from freelancer to leader, building a brand-direct engine, setting non-negotiables with clients, pricing expertise (not days), and why AI is making the best human work more valuable than ever.You’ll learnHow “scrappiness” evolves from guessing emails to building brand-direct pipelinesThe mindset shift from on the box to on the business—and when to make itWhy selling expertise beats selling time (and how to defend flat-fee pricing)Scripts and stances for protecting process (and your weekends)Why being willing to walk away wins negotiations—and attracts better clientsAn owner’s take on AI: client fatigue, what’s commoditized, and where premium work growsTimestamps00:00 Intro — The bigger needs are getting bigger01:00 Barton’s origin story & ABC’s focus on photoreal, story, and craft04:00 Scrappy beginnings → modern hustle (and why it still matters)09:00 Firing yourself from the box: role shifts as the team scales16:30 Keeping the bar high without “saving” projects17:30 Process > panic: the pool-construction analogy clients never forget22:00 Why ABC built brand-direct from day one (and agency pitfalls)27:00 Stop selling time: pricing for outcomes, not day rates33:00 Risk, transparency, and the real reason studios charge more35:00 “We pick clients too”: reframing awards, pitches, and selection41:00 AI fatigue is real: what clients want now vs. what’s replaceable47:00 iPhone vs. Alexa: a clear framework for AI and premium craft50:00 Closing & takeawaysKey quotes“The person who wins the negotiation is the one willing to walk away.”“If my slowest, least-experienced artist bills the most, your model’s upside down.”“Our business only works if we enjoy it.”“AI will eat the quick, crappy content. The best human work only gets more valuable.”About Barton Barton Damer is the founder and founding artist of Already Been Chewed, a Wylie/Dallas studio known for skate-culture roots, photoreal craft, and brand-direct campaigns in 3D, VFX, and product visualization. Over 15+ years, ABC has partnered with top global brands while staying lean, family-friendly, and obsessively focused on story and execution.Mentions Nike, Vans, New Balance, Lucasfilm, Disney, Tiffany, Google, Street League, Camp Mograph, FORUM & Fuse dinners.Links & Next StepsExplore more episodes and push your creative business forward: joelpilger.comIf you’re serious about running a resilient studio and creating great work, apply to join Forum at joelpilger.com.

Dash Bash: It Started As A Party with Cory Livengood and Meryn Hayes

What happens when a studio anniversary party turns into one of the motion design industry’s most loved gatherings?In this episode of The Fabulist, I talk with Cory Livengood (Creative Director & Founder, Dash Studio) and Meryn Hayes (Executive Producer, Dash Studio) about the evolution of Dash Bash—a Raleigh-born festival that’s become a biannual hub for creativity, collaboration, and community.Originally launched to celebrate Dash Studio’s 5th anniversary, Dash Bash has since grown into something much bigger. Cory and Meryn share the origin story, the highs and lows of producing an event of this scale, and why gatherings like these matter more than ever for the future of our industry.You’ll hear:How Dash Bash evolved from a party into a multi-day festivalWhy Raleigh has become a surprising creative hotspotThe realities (and rewards) of producing large-scale eventsStories of late-night lobby talks, spontaneous collaborations, and community moments that fuel both mental health and momentumWhat the future holds for Dash Bash—and why its focus on people over technology makes it stand apartWhether you’re a studio founder, freelancer, or creative hungry for connection, this conversation offers practical takeaways and a reminder that we’re stronger—and more inspired—together.🎧 Listen in—and mark your calendar: the next Dash Bash is coming in 2027.

The Studio Was Just the Start: Here Comes Act Two with Three Founders

In this episode of The Fabulist, Joel Pilger sits down with three powerhouse studio founders—Shawna Schultz (Mass FX Media & 38th and Post), Katwo Puertollano (rezonate), and Samantha Louise (Versus)—to explore what happens after you’ve built a successful studio. What do seasoned founders build once the studio is humming? How does leadership evolve from momentum to meaning? And how do these founders define success on their own terms? This conversation dives into the second act of creative entrepreneurship—from launching new ventures to leading quietly behind the scenes—and offers a rare glimpse at how these visionary women are redefining purpose, growth, and legacy.